ALLOZYME DIVERSITY WITHIN AND AMONG POPULATIONS OF 3 UNGULATE SPECIES(CERVUS-ELAPHUS, CAPREOLUS-CAPREOLUS, SUS-SCROFA) OF SOUTHEASTERN ANDCENTRAL-EUROPE

75 red deer, 121 roe deer, and 155 wild boars from several sampling si tes in Bulgaria were examined for genetic variability and differentiat ion at 4043 isozyme loci by means of horizontal starch gel electrophor esis. For comparison with Central European populations 103 red deer, 1 06 roe deer and 70 wild boars from sampling sites in Slovenia, Austria , Slovakia, and France were screened additionally. Mean P (proportion of polymorphic loci, 99 per cent criterion) in the red and the roe dee r was 18.6 % (sd 2.3 %) and 17.8 % (sd 0.8 %), respectively. Mean H (e xpected average heterozygosity) was 5.9 % (sd 1.3 %) in the former and 5.9 % (sd 1.0%) in the latter. In both species, P- and H-values in th e Bulgarian, Slovenian, and Slovakian populations were among the highe st as yet detected in these species. According to genetic distances an d the exclusive occurrence of rare alleles the Bulgarian red deer repr esents a subspecies different from Central European Cervus elaphus hip pelaphus. The wild boars were polymorphic at 11.6 % (sd 2.8 %) of thei r loci and had a mean H of 2.8 % (sd 0.5 %). Genetic distances reveale d some distinctness of the population living in the Rila-Rodopi mounta ins from Central European Sus scrofa scrofa. Levels of migration (Nm) among local populations of all three species were very similar.